Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Lead Conveyor Maintenance Technician

🎯 Role Definition

The Lead Conveyor Maintenance Technician is an experienced, hands-on maintenance professional who owns the reliability, safety, and performance of conveyor systems and associated material handling equipment. This role combines advanced mechanical and electrical troubleshooting, PLC/control diagnostics, proactive preventive maintenance planning, and team leadership to reduce downtime, extend asset life, and optimize material flow. The Lead Technician acts as the subject matter expert for belt tracking, drives, gearboxes, bearings, rollers, chutes, sensors, and safety systems while coordinating with operations, engineering, and vendors for repairs and upgrades.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Conveyor Maintenance Technician / Maintenance Technician II
Industrial Mechanic or Millwright
Electrical Technician or Controls Technician

Advancement To:

Maintenance Supervisor / Team Lead (Plant or Area)
Reliability Engineer / Maintenance Planner
Maintenance Manager / Facilities Manager

Lateral Moves:

PLC / Controls Specialist
Mechanical Reliability Technician
Rotating Equipment Technician

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead and execute complex mechanical and electrical diagnostics on conveyor systems, including belt conveyors, roller conveyors, powered rollers, and gravity sections, to identify root causes and implement effective repairs that minimize repeat failures.
Develop, schedule and supervise preventive and predictive maintenance programs for all conveyor assets using CMMS (e.g., SAP, Maximo, Infor, Maintenance Connection) to ensure consistent uptime and compliance with PM cycles.
Troubleshoot and repair variable frequency drives (VFDs), servo drives, motor starters, gearboxes, reducers, couplings, and motors to restore operational performance and prevent cascading equipment damage.
Diagnose and repair PLC logic, I/O, safety circuit faults, and HMI issues in conveyor control systems (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Schneider, etc.), including ladder logic validation and firmware updates with minimal production disruption.
Lead belt tracking, splicing, and tensioning efforts; perform full belt replacements, use proper splice techniques, and verify conveyor alignment and pulley condition to prevent material spill and premature belt wear.
Perform root cause analysis following major conveyor failures, compile technical reports, recommend corrective actions and failure-proofing design changes in collaboration with engineering.
Supervise and mentor junior technicians and apprentices; provide hands-on coaching, technical training, and on-the-job instruction in mechanical, electrical and safety best practices.
Coordinate and execute planned shutdowns and turnarounds for conveyor replacement, rebuilds or major upgrades, including work sequencing, resource allocation and vendor management.
Implement and maintain effective lockout-tagout (LOTO), machine guarding, and other safety systems; ensure all conveyor maintenance tasks are performed in strict accordance with OSHA and company safety policies.
Manage spare parts inventory for critical conveyor components — bearings, belts, pulleys, sensors, belts, rollers, couplings — optimizing stocking levels to reduce repair lead time while controlling inventory costs.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives to increase conveyor throughput and reduce downtime by applying reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) and root cause corrective action (RCCA) methodologies.
Inspect and service hydraulic and pneumatic components used in conveyor actuators, gates and diverters; perform leak detection, seal replacements, and pressure testing as required.
Conduct vibration analysis, thermography inspections and oil analysis on conveyor drives and gearboxes; interpret condition-monitoring data to plan interventions before failure.
Design and implement temporary or permanent conveyor reroutes, safety platforms, and access improvements to facilitate safer and quicker maintenance activities.
Create, update and maintain technical documentation: schematics, wiring diagrams, standard operating procedures (SOPs), maintenance instructions, and parts lists to ensure knowledge continuity.
Liaise with production, engineering and palletization teams to schedule maintenance windows that minimize impact on throughput and ensure alignment of conveyor performance targets with business objectives.
Manage contractor/vendor scopes for specialized conveyor repairs and fabrications, ensuring quality, on-time delivery and compliance with site safety rules.
Lead incident investigations for conveyor-related safety events, produce corrective action plans and track closure to reduce recurrence and meet regulatory requirements.
Implement and optimize condition-based maintenance programs for conveyors using sensors and IIoT devices, driving data collection for predictive analytics and KPI reporting.
Oversee calibration, testing and placement of sensors, photoeyes, encoders, and safety interlocks to maintain accurate material flow detection and safe machine shutdowns.
Provide technical support for conveyor-related capital projects, including design reviews, constructability input, and field commissioning to ensure reliable handover to operations.
Drive a culture of continuous learning by documenting lessons learned, delivering toolbox talks, and fostering cross-functional troubleshooting sessions to upskill maintenance teams.

Secondary Functions

Assist in creating maintenance budgets and forecasts for conveyor spare parts and capital repairs.
Support new equipment installation by coordinating mechanical and electrical hookups, alignment, and initial commissioning.
Participate in daily/weekly production meetings to communicate conveyor status, maintenance plans and potential impacts to throughput.
Maintain accurate work order records in CMMS to facilitate performance trending, KPI tracking and audit readiness.
Support ergonomics and safety improvement projects tied to conveyor access, guarding and emergency stop placement.
Facilitate vendor warranty claims and follow-up on remediation of defective parts or workmanship related to conveyor equipment.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced mechanical troubleshooting of conveyors: belt splicing, tracking, pulley alignment, roller replacement and structural repairs.
Electrical diagnostics and repair, including 3-phase motor testing, motor control centers (MCC), starters and VFD troubleshooting.
PLC and controls experience (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Rockwell) — ability to read ladder logic, test I/O and validate control sequences.
Strong knowledge of safety systems: E-stops, safety relays, light curtains, interlocks and NFPA/OSHA compliance.
Proficient with maintenance management systems (CMMS) for work orders, PM scheduling and parts management.
Experience with vibration analysis, infrared thermography and oil analysis for condition monitoring.
Competence in reading and updating mechanical and electrical schematics, P&IDs and wiring diagrams.
Hands-on experience with hydraulics and pneumatics used in gates, diverters and actuators.
Ability to perform precision alignment, shaft coupling, bearing replacement and gear reducer servicing.
Experience managing contractors and coordinating multi-discipline repair teams during shutdowns and rebuilds.
Basic welding, fabrication and metal repair skills to perform on-site conveyor frame and skirt repairs.
Familiarity with IIoT sensors, industrial networks (Ethernet/IP, Modbus) and basic data collection for predictive maintenance.
Strong inventory management for critical spares and reorder point optimization.

Soft Skills

Leadership and team-building skills with proven ability to mentor and develop junior technicians.
Strong analytical and problem-solving ability, with attention to root cause and preventive measures.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills for clear reporting, documentation and cross-functional coordination.
Ability to prioritize multiple high-impact work requests under production pressure while maintaining safety and quality.
Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills to manage PM schedules, spare parts and technical documentation.
Adaptability and composure in emergency repair situations and during planned shutdowns.
Collaborative mindset to work with operations, engineering, safety and vendors.
Continuous improvement mindset and openness to adopting new tools, data and processes.
Coaching and teaching ability to run effective training sessions and toolbox talks.
Time management and project coordination skills to oversee mid-size repair projects and installations.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High School Diploma or GED, plus technical certification or trade school training in industrial maintenance, electrical, or mechanical technology.

Preferred Education:

Associate's degree in Industrial Maintenance, Mechanical Technology, Electromechanical Technology, or related field.
Certifications such as NCCER, Millwright, IPC, OSHA 10/30, or manufacturer-specific VFD/PLC training are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Mechanical Engineering Technology
Electrical/Electromechanical Technology
Industrial Maintenance or Millwright Programs
Controls and Automation

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–10+ years of hands-on conveyor and material handling maintenance experience.

Preferred: 7+ years with demonstrated leadership, PLC/control troubleshooting experience, and at least 2–3 years supervising or leading small maintenance teams. Experience in high-throughput distribution centers, manufacturing plants, or mining/aggregate operations is highly valued.